You knowq how it is…you say something that another person believes is “way out” or totally unbelievable and they respond “seriously”….
Cardinal Baseball….
….Soooo…MO flys out to talk personally with Fowler to make sure that he’s OK with not being the CF….seriously?? Who’s in charge here…who’s running the asylum? These are professional athletes…paid handsomely to perform whenever and wherever they are directed to do so by their management people…. and…what if he’d said NO?
….MO also says that we don’t need starting pitching….seriously? the Cards were 6th in the NL in ERA @ 4.01….the 5 teams ahead of them were all playoff teams….look at our rotation …. it’s Martinez, the W crew (Wainwright, Wacha, Weaver) and Flaherty. Flaherty started 6 games last year, ERA of 6.33, batters hit .284 against him and he had a WHIP (walks& hits per inning) of 1.55….hopefully he make the necessary improvements to be a productive pitcher…..Wacha & Wainwright both struggled through arm issues and up & down performances throughout 2017….will that change? Reyes won’t be a full time starter until 2019. I read that the Birds are looking for a seasoned, inexpensive 5th starter….my gut says that our choice may come from this foursome…. Miguel Gonzalez, Miles Mokolas, Jason Vargas or Michael Pineda…Vargas was good in 1st half of 2017, bad in the 2nd half…he’ll come around $9m/year…. count on the same thing happening in 2018 and then..in my view… bring in Reyes for the 2nd half of the season in his rotation spot. The other 3 pitchers are far less expensive…and probably… less effective.
….firing someone who isn’t current… Seriously? so when we heard that Derek Lilliquest was not being rehired, there was all this talk about “not staying current”, “doesn’t use metrics”… seriously??…so the Cards hire former Washington Nationals pitching coach Mike Maddux….what happens to Lilliquest…he gets hired by the Washington Nationals!! I guess that they don’t use metrics there or they view it differently  I think the message of all these pro coaches … pitching or hitting…becomes stale after 4-5-6 years and a change is useful.
…we’ve been hearing about the great Cardinal pitching on the way up….seriously? The only Cardinal rookie to show up on the top 40 rookie pitching numbers in the MLB in 2017…. pushing aside the hype was John Brebbia. The only fans that knew about HIM prior to this season were his family ….so when will these other starters begin to shine?
…the Cards won’t miss Lance Lynn…seriously? In 2017 Lynn was 2nd on the team in innings, had the lowest ERA of any starter @ 3.43 (Martinez was 3.64) had the lowest batting average against him of any starter 2.23.. Martinez 2.32.. and Lynn was 2nd in WHIP of the Cards starters with a 1.23…Martinez was #1 at 1.22. 2017 was the last “cheap” year for the Cards with Martinez..it was $3.7m….next year it jumps up to $11.7m
Basketball….
….hiding game 1 injury? Seriously? come on… sooo…Michael Porter “tweaks” his hip in warm ups prior to the 1st game…plays 2 minutes in that game and doesn’t play the rest of that game or any of the next game…or the one after that….Seriously?? Sounds more like he hurt himself long before the game but didn’t want to dampen the spirits of the packed house @ Mizzou Arena by announcing his injury….now he’s still sitting on the bench with the same baffling injury … whatever it is…it sounds much more severe than a “Hip tweak”….it seems like Mizzou has gone to the same “injury disclosing” policy as the Cards.
…SLU basketball will be better than last year..seriously? This team is already FAR better than last year..the stunning win over Va Tech…an NCAA tournament team last year As they finished 7th in the ACC…the Billikens controlled the tempo throughout the game with a continual, yet , long possession that often ended up with VT rebounders outside & their guards inside….the Bills got back on d to take away the layups of a fast break team that had scored over 120 points in each of their 1st 2 games, fought off the late charge by the Hokies (do you cringe when you hear that name)..and…a big one…by knocking down enough late FT. The next night SLU didn’t have the depth, legs or emotion to compete with Providence but .. nonetheless .. it was a successful 2 game tournament…beating one good team on the road.
…all W’s are the same…Seriously? Mizzou basketball team opens their season by playing a big 12 team…Iowa State…a good team to open the basketball season but then they played Wagner? Seriously??….look at who else is on this “Wagner” schedule…New Jersey Institute of Technology…whom they “crushed” 60-49…pardon my sarcasm….College of Staten Island, University of Massachusetts Lowell, St Francis Brooklyn, Bryant University, Central Connecticut State U…you get the idea….what are we doing playing this type of team? We have plenty of D-2 or D-3 teams in Missouri…if they want cupcakes….. keep the “blood money” games in State.
…St. Louisian Jayson Tatum has adapted to the NBA…seriously??….he’s been very, very good not just “adapted”. He recently scored 19 points to help the Boston Celtics to their 13th straight win as they toppled Brooklyn 109-102. He’s 6th in scoring for rookies with 13.3 ppg and his 47.6% from the 3 point range is the best of all rookies. Already…he’s noted as being very consistent…not too high or low mentally in the nightly world of NBA ball.
NCAA Football
…11-0 and not in top 4 …seriously? So Wisconsin beats #24 Michigan 24-10 to stay unbeaten…what else can a team do? Some say..play tougher teams….well….the schedule is drawn up many years in advance.. can you tell me who’s going to be good in 2027? Wisconsin doesn’t have a glitzy star player, a flashy back or receiver, or a QB with a strong arm/fast legs or big head …they just have outstanding line play on both sides of the ball, don’t get beat defensively and WIN every game!! If they beat Ohio State…how can they be kept out?
.…Mizzou romps past Vanderbilt with ease as the Tigers were clearly the best team on the field..I’m not totally surprised on Aug 27 I wrote, “Mizzou football doesn’t have many strong believers….I’m thinking that this club can win 7 games”…now I must admit in the month of September I was shaking my head at what I had written.
….Mizzou football has turned the corner….seriously??? While most of us are pleased that the Tigers are finishing strong and clearly raising our hopes, Mizzou’s victories to this point are all over sub .500 teams—look at their records–MO State 3-7, Idaho 3-6, U Conn 3-7, Florida 3-6, Tennessee, Vanderbilt & Arkansas are all 4-6 as I write this on Fri…you have to beat some good teams to be considered “good”….playing good teams & losing doesn’t make YOU good.. while we’re moving upward… we aren’t close to playing a New Years Day bowl yet.
…changing of some of the Big 5 college football conferences is coming again….seriously?? Apparently Texas is considering moving to the SEC..this would add an impact name-brand to the SEC, a school with a huge following and get Texas out of the Longhorn network…which many other schools feared and has back-fired..currently that agreement with ESPN has resulted in a net loss of $48m for Texas…the Texas move to SEC would lead to the demolition of the Big 12…if Texas moves on…is OU far behind?… then Ok State will be walking in their footsteps..
…a 24-17 game exciting? Seriously? watching the Notre Dame-Navy football game was a treat…ND clearly had the better athletes who were larger, could run faster, throw better but the Naval Academy utilizing the wish bone to consume time took it down to the final play before losing 24-17. Navy, like all the military academies, play very smart football, fundamentals to the highest level and no showboating…it’s a team effort. As an American citizen & sports fan…one has to be proud of the total performance of the Navy football team. These future military leaders have already shown their stripes and will lead us in battles far greater than on a football field!
… Mark Richt fired at Georgia after 2015 season for not meeting expectations…seriously??? He went 9-3 that year, for his 15 years at Georgia he was 145-51, took them to 15 straight bowls, was ranked in the top 10 final poll 8x….he’s moved to Miami U now….he went 9-4 last year and is 10-0 this year… sometimes…maybe many times…fans lose touch with how good things are going..btw.. Georgia has kept going..they are 9-1 this year… Barry Odum ..who already is 5th longest tenured SEC coach…better continue to win and win big…see next note
..NCAA final four, seriously? How can 1 man do it while a large, talented committee works feverishly each week…anyway… the Bob Championship Four at this time are: 1) Alabama 2) Miami 3) Oklahoma 4) Wisconsin
HIGH School Football…
…….hardly any sports fan in St. Louis has heard of Lamar High School Football…seriously? They’ve only won 6 straight Class 2 Missouri state championships…which NO ONE else has ever done… and haven’t lost a game of any kind since Oct 17, 2014…the Game of the day on Saturday was the 7-6 win for Lamar over Lutheran North in Class 2 semifinals. In a crunching battle with athletes far above the norm for a Class 2 game. Lamar has outscored their opponents this year an incredible 589 points to just 80. I’m hoping that Head Coach Scott Bailey will continue to upgrade his non-conference schedule next year and incorporate some additional Class 3 or Class 4 teams.
…it wasn’t the offense, seriously? Congratulations to the CBC Cadets who won the Class 6 championship on Saturday… generally this year the Cadets pulverized the opposition with their offense but on this day, it was the defense that stood up to the always tough Blue Springs Wildcats 31-14. For Blue Springs it was the 2nd consecutive loss in the State Championship game. The Cadet defense stiffened in the 1st half…after the Wildcats had moved into the red zone twice …but were stopped and on both occasions the FG attempts were missed. The key play of the game, however, was in the 3rd quarter when CBC led 7-6, Blue springs was marching down the field… in hopes of grabbing the lead and their 6th state title…CBC’s Taylor Robinson intercepted a Chase Donahue pass to stop the drive and flip the momentum. CBC scored shortly thereafter and from then on it was Cadet time as they won the 2nd state football championship in the school’s history. Early in the 2000’s the KC area dominated the championships of the largest classification but now the StL teams have won 3 of the last 4 Class 6 championship games. Blue Springs won back-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
Odds & Ends…
…radio entertainment, seriously? The Mike & Mike Show was an enjoyable radio show that I often listened to as I battled traffic on Hwy 270 on my way to teach each morning….Mike Golic (former NFL d-lineman) and Mike Greenfield(golden tongue from Northwestern)…had a fast moving, thought provoking show with great interaction, laughs, personal thoughts and much information with many interviews from knowledgeable guests…it ended its 17 year run on Friday…kudo’s to both Mike’s for their wonderful entertainment over a long period of time…we’ll miss the two of them as a pair…. as they go their separate ways.
The NFL….Nearly Forgotten League…
…Jerry Jones wants the best for the league…seriously? He was all “FOR” Roger Dumbnall until King Roger suspended Ezkiel Elliott…or tried suspending him on several occasions…then suddenly Ol’ Rog is being paid too much….$50m….seriously? $50m for ONE year…that salary is more than 100 times more than the President of the USA($400,000)
…The NFL is diversion for many…probably most..fans…it’s an escape from reality for a couple hours ? Seriously?? The football game has become a side show at the entertainment circus… with all the protests, constant replays, the players in court, the appeals– he can’t play..he can play..he can’t play…ugh… both of the lawyers representing the NFL & Elliott must have attended the Marcia Clark/ Christopher Darden School of Law…wonder if Elliott had to try on a glove? 
…Some think Matthew Stafford is the most overlooked QB in the NFL…seriously? How about Drew Brees? Brees is currently 3rd in all-time passing yards with 68, 509…he’s behind Bret Favre 71,838 and #1 is Payton manning 71, 940. Sooo…with another good, full year, Brees could take over the NFL QB with the most passing yards…why don’t we ever think of him? If your team doesn’t get deep into NFL playoffs with regularity…many discard you as a “great” QB and New Orleans has often been closer to the bottom than the top of their division….some other interesting..obscure… QB with high numbers in total passing yards..Vinney Testaverde is #13…he played for 7 teams with 46,233 yards; Kerry Collins is #16 (6 teams) 40,922; Jim Hart is #27.. 34,665 yards and is the only QB in top 30 who retired in the 80’s …all the other guys above him retired in the 90’s or later and when the game had changed into much more of a passing game.
…you say that the Rams former coaching staff wasn’t outdated….seriously? Who leads the league in total offensive yards right now?… a Ram back-Todd Gurley (754 rushing, 406 receiving). Meanwhile QB Jared Goff… who looked way over his head in his 1st year… is now 8th in the league in passing yards with 2385 yards and 1st in passing yards per attempt. I hope Jeff Fisher has a good fishing pole to use in all his free time because his NFL Head Coaching days are gone…forever.
Finally…seriously?
…so this blog is finally over, seriously? Yep…you’ve hung on long enough 